Definition of contradictionnext
1
as in paradox
someone or something with qualities or features that seem to conflict with one another a loving father as well as a ruthless killer, the gangster is a living contradiction

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of contradiction And on Desaceleradas, Beatriz chooses not to explain away cumbia rebajada’s contradictions, but to celebrate its fundamental mystery. Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 7 Jan. 2026 This confusion lay in the speech’s weaving, wending contradictions, and its shifts between tones, something Foster purposefully aimed for in telling the story of her life from child stardom to adult disaffection. Daniel D'addario, Variety, 7 Jan. 2026 Agronejo, as a musical genre and cultural phenomenon, is somewhat of a contradiction. Carolina Abbott Galvão, The Dial, 6 Jan. 2026 Are the contradictions and chaos of anyone’s life resolvable? Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 6 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for contradiction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contradiction
Noun
  • And that’s the beautiful paradox of grief, really.
    Chris Willman, Variety, 9 Jan. 2026
  • The paradox of the intelligent age is that greater informational capacity may coexist with diminishing societal coherence.
    Klaus Schwab, Time, 5 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Fossil fuel production is still increasing, driving up planet-warming pollution; the United States is in climate denial mode; and turbulent geopolitics have pushed the climate crisis down the agenda and into the culture wars.
    Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Neither is convinced by Nixon’s denials of wrongdoing during Watergate.
    Elizabeth B. Kim, Cincinnati Enquirer, 7 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • The movement is considered a response to the ever-present and growing sense of alienation among people, as well as a rejection of the traditional depictions of everyday life in Eastern Europe.
    Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Jan. 2026
  • Cyclosporine Cyclosporine is an immunosuppressant that is used after an organ transplant to prevent organ rejection.
    Jessica Swirble, Verywell Health, 5 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Contradiction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contradiction. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.

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